Vacation Homes

Calgarian offers place in paradise

Weekly rent at Caribbean Diamond Resort runs from a summer rate of $1,000 for a one-bedroom suite to $4,000 for a two-bedroom suite.

Photograph by: Deep Shergill
, Calgary Herald

"If" — a word that has been called the biggest in the English language.

The connotations it carries are endless. Take the Turks and Caicos Islands, for example.

If things had worked out, this chain of Caribbean islands might well have been part of Canada following an invitation in 2004 to join by the province of Nova Scotia — the most recent of a number of attempts to bring the islands into Confederation.

Canada would have had its own tropical paradise — with no passport required.

Oh, well. The Turks and Caicos Islands are growing as a magnet for Canadians looking for a respite from the vagaries of the Great White North.

Deep Shergill, president of Prominent Homes in Calgary, stumbled onto the islands after vacationing in the Bahamas about a dozen years ago with his wife, Pinky.

"A couple of years later, we started thinking about a vacation property and were looking for something like the Bahamas, but not as commercialized," says Shergill.

After researching several websites, bringing themselves up to speed with what the Turks and Caicos Islands offered, the couple vacationed there — and the rest, as they say, is history.

The islands have a mix of locals — called belongers— and expats from Canada, Great Britain and the U.S., says Shergill, who is a past-president of the Calgary and Alberta branches of the Canadian Home Builders' Association.

"We found more Canadians living here than anywhere else that we had visited — perhaps not in total numbers, but in per cent of population," he says.

Canadians are big visitors and investors to the Turks and Caicos Islands, says local realtor Robert Greenwood.

"In fact, Canadian visitors accounted for 12 per cent of all arrivals in the first six months of 2011," he says, adding that increased flights from Canada will only boost that number.

"It's almost impossible for a single day to pass without finding yourself in conversation with a Canadian who has retired to, has a vacation property or owns or runs a business in the Turks and Caicos Islands," says Greenwood.

For the Shergills, there was an immediate comfort level on their first visit. Since then, they have not only bought their own vacation home, they have developed a 30-suite residential rental complex called Caribbean Diamond Resort.

Located on the island of Providenciales, it is a blend of 18 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom suites.

Caribbean Diamond Resort is a four-minute walk from the white sands of Grace Bay Beach, which is ranked high on the list of best beaches in the world.

Those staying at the resort can tan there, or try their hand at snorkelling, scuba diving, parasailing, riding a banana boat, jet skiing, or deep sea fishing.

"We are getting about 50 per cent of our renters from Canada, including Western Canada, and the other half from the United States," says Shergill.

Weekly rent runs from a summer rate of $1,000 for a one-bedroom suite to $2,200 for two bedrooms.

High-season rates range from $2,200 weekly for a one-bedroom to $4,000 for a two-bedroom suite.

Deep Shergill is also considering offering a corporate rental for a full year that could be used as a sales incentive or as a customer appreciation gift.

While Shergill has joined the growing ranks of Canadians operating a business in the Turks and Caicos Islands, it remains a personal haven as well.

"For us, this has become a winter getaway — a home away from home when we want a little quiet time," he says.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Project: Caribbean Diamond Resort. The resort has 30 rental suites, 18 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom, and a private pool. It is a five-minute walk from Grace Bay Beach. Weekly rentals start at $1,000 for a one-bedroom and $2,000 for two bedrooms. In the high season, weekly rates range from $2,200 to $4,000.

Developer: Caribbean Diamond Resorts Ltd., which is managed by Deep Shergill of Calgary.

Location: On Providenciales Island in Turks and Caicos.

ISLANDERS ENJOY SUNSHINE

The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of 40 islands and cays, eight of which are inhabited.

The islands are about 150 kilometres southeast of the Bahamas and just to the east of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti.)

As an English-speaking British overseas territory, the Turks and Caicos Islands are home to roughly 30,000 full-time residents and receive more than 200,000 tourists annually.

The U.S. dollar is the official currency.

The average temperature ranges between 29 to 32 C from June to October, sometimes reaching the 35 C range, especially in the late summer months.

From November to May. the average temperature is 27 to 29 C. Water temperature in the summer is 28 to 29 C and in winter about 23 to 26 C.

A constant trade wind keeps the climate at a comfortable level.

There is an annual rainfall of 21 inches on Grand Turk and South Caicos, but as you go further west the average rainfall could increase to 40 inches.

In an average year, the Turks and Caicos have 350 days of sunshine. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

Turks and Caicos Islanders are mostly descendants of African slaves who were brought in to work the salt pans or the cotton plantations.

The expatriate population consists of British, Canadians, Americans, French, Bahamians, people from Hispaniola and virtually everywhere in the world.

The economy relies on the tourism industry, real estate development and the export of seafood.

A wide variety of financial services are available, including company formation, offshore insurance, banking, trusts, limited partnerships and limited life companies.

The Financial Services Commission regulates, develops and promotes the industry in major world markets.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British overseas territory.

A governor is appointed by the Queen and presides over an executive council formed by an elected local self-government.

Government offices are located in Grand Turk, with branches on other islands as needed.

The legal system is based on English Common Law, and the land titles system used is the same as Alberta's.

DIRECT FLIGHTS

Several airlines fly to Turks and Caicos Islands.

WestJet has seasonal non-stop flights three times a week from Toronto to Providenciales from November to May, with weekly flights the rest of the year.

Air Canada has direct flights from Toronto on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from Montreal on Thursdays and Ottawa on Mondays. In February, the airline will begin flights from Halifax.

On American Airlines for the winter season there are three daily flights from Miami, and one a day from New York's JFK. Direct flights are also available from Boston on Saturdays.

Delta offers six-times a week service from Atlanta (no Tuesday flight), plus a second flight on Saturdays. US Airways offers daily flights from Charlotte. Direct flights are also available from Boston and Philadelphia on Saturdays and Sundays.

For island-hopping:

Bahamas Air flies once a day to Nassau from TCI, and Air Turks and Caicos has regularly scheduled flights to most of the other islands in the chain.

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